


Net

by warriorofculture



Category: SpongeBob SquarePants (Cartoon)
Genre: Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-12
Updated: 2020-12-12
Packaged: 2021-03-11 01:13:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,022
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28026828
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/warriorofculture/pseuds/warriorofculture
Summary: It's the second annual Employee Brotherhood Day at the Krusty Krab, and the rules are the same: each employee has to hand-craft a gift for each other. This time, however, the gifts are a little different.
Relationships: SpongeBob SquarePants/Squidward Tentacles
Comments: 4
Kudos: 37





	Net

He opened the book and began reading. A lot of the words didn't make sense, but he took the time to carefully read over them multiple times and jotted down notes as the words began to clarify themselves. When he finished, he opened the next book and read it as well, also taking notes. He really didn't want to do any of this, but a certain reason drove him onwards, making him turn the page, read what was printed on the page, then pick up his quill pen and write down some notes. Book after book piled up nearby as he studied and took notes; he wasn't sure how many hours had passed, nor what the current time was.

After some time - minutes, hours, days, he didn't know - he set down the last book and sighed, leaning back in his seat. He'd written so many notes, drew so many diagrams and figures, he wasn't sure he'd be able to pull off the project he'd planned to start. Would it even be worth it?

He turned his gaze to the window and saw the house next door.

It would be worth it.

_Knock, knock, knock!_

His gaze moved to the front door. Although his arms and legs felt stiff from all the time he'd spent hunched over the books and scribbling notes, he forced himself to stand and made his way to the door before opening it.

"Hi, Squidward!"

"...What do you want, Spongebob?" he asked in a flat tone.

The sea sponge smiled brightly at him. "Could I borrow some paint?"

"Paint?"

"Yeah!" Spongebob nodded.

"Why do you want to borrow my paint?"

"I know you have a lot, since you like painting, so—"

"No, I mean, why _mine_? Don't you have any?"

"Well, I did, but Patrick got hungry and—"

Squidward sighed. "Of course."

"So can I?"

Squidward was silent for several moments. He wasn't sure if he'd get his paints back if he loaned them to his neighbour. Even if he did loan them, Spongebob was likely to make a mess of them before returning. Besides, he'd spent a lot of money to ensure he got the highest-quality paints for the highest-quality paintings.

That settled it.

"No."

Spongebob looked surprised. "No?"

"No," Squidward repeated. "I know what you'll do if you get your grubby little hands on my precious paints, and I don't want to see it happen." He placed his hand on the door, intending to slam it in Spongebob's face, but paused. "Wait... why are you wanting to borrow paint, anyway?"

"I told you already, Patrick ate mine."

"Not that. What are you painting?"

"Ohh." Spongebob put his hands behind his back and averted his gaze.

Squidward raised an eyebrow. This was unusual behaviour for the sea sponge, who normally kept a bright and chipper attitude around him. What caused the sudden change in his demeanour?

"Umm..." Spongebob looked down at his shoes. "Well, it's kinda a secret..."

"Is it related to something coming up at work?"

Spongebob's cheeks coloured. "M- Maybe..."

Squidward knew his question was answered. Something _was_ coming up at the Krusty Krab, which he knew involved crafting something, and whatever Spongebob was making, he intended to paint it.

"Well, good luck with that." Despite his words, Squidward's tone was dry.

"So can I—"

"I said, no." He moved his arm and slammed the door.

"Even if I said please?" Came a muffled voice from the other side of the door.

"No!" Squidward stormed away from the door but came to a stop at the pile of books lying on the floor near his couch. A notebook laid open on the coffee table, displaying his notes.

He closed his eyes and massaged his temples. Why was he doing this, anyway? What was the point?

Memories came to his mind at his questions, and he knew.

He hated it, but he knew.

* * *

He sat at the register boat and leaned back, closing his eyes. Every muscle in his body ached, as it had the past several days, but he kept the pain to himself and tried not to think about it. If he let his thoughts drift a bit, it would be easy to mentally distance himself from the hurting, and he could relax for a while...

"Squidward?"

He was jolted out of his thoughts as a finger poked him in the arm. He opened his eyes and found himself staring into a pair of big blue eyes.

He frowned. "What is it?"

"I just wanted to make sure you're okay."

"I'm fine, now leave me alone." He closed his eyes again.

"But Squidward..."

Angrily, he opened his eyes to glare at his only co-worker. " _What_?"

"Normally you don't go to sleep at the register this early; we're not even open yet."

"So?"

"So... something must be wrong."

He hadn't realised he'd fallen asleep, but he didn't want Spongebob to know it. Instead, he said, "Nothing's wrong, now go back to the kitchen."

"Oh, no no no no, Mr Squidward. There's a reason I had the two of ye comin' in earlier than normal."

Squidward lifted his gaze to see his boss standing behind Spongebob. "Right, the, uh..."

"Employee Brotherhood Day," Spongebob finished for him, smiling.

"Aye, laddie." Mr Krabs wrapped an arm around Spongebob. "We're holdin' the second annual Employee Brotherhood Day, since the last one was such a success."

Squidward hiked an eyebrow. "A success? We thought I'd killed Spongebob with a bomb pie and you think that's a _success_?"

"The lad didn't die, did he?"

"Well, no."

"Then it was a success." Mr Krabs shrugged. "Anyway, I told ye lubbers about it a few weeks ago to give ye time to prepare yer gift. So ye better have something good, Mr Squidward."

The octopus rolled his eyes but didn't reply.

"Why don't ye go first, boyo?" Mr Krabs let go of his fry cook.

"Okay!" Spongebob grinned. He produced a small box from behind his back and held it up. "Here you go, Squidward!"

Squidward accepted the box and studied it. It was lightweight, white in colour with a blue ribbon tied around it, and a large matching bow sat on top. He tugged off the ribbon and removed the lid before peering inside. It was difficult to tell exactly what it was, so he removed the object from the box and gazed at it.

A medium-sized cup rested in his hand; the overall design was simple, but on the outside, a picture had been painted. He turned the cup around to see the entire design: it was a representation of Bikini Bottom. One part showed his, Spongebob’s and Patrick’s houses in a row, and on another part further away was the Krusty Krab. Standing between the restaurant and houses were crude depictions of himself, Spongebob and Patrick, all holding hands and smiling. Overhead, the sky flowers hung in the water and a thick tan line represented the sand at their feet. Overall, it gave a cheerful, friendly feeling.

“It’s for your paintbrushes,” Spongebob explained. “You can put them in here whilst painting, or you can fill it with water to clean your brushes.”

Squidward blinked, his eyes still on the cup. It was a rather small gift, but a very thoughtful one as well. He now knew Spongebob had wanted to borrow his paints to create the design on the cup.

“So where did you get the paint?” he finally asked.

“Huh?” Spongebob looked thoughtful. “Oh! You mean after I asked to borrow your paints. I bought a set at Barg’n Mart the next day.”

Squidward nodded to himself, still studying the design. “Did Patrick eat it, too?”

Spongebob laughed. “No, I made sure he wasn’t at my house when I used the paints, then I put them away in the closet before he came over.”

Squidward made a non-committal noise but didn’t comment any further.

“It’s yer turn now, Mr Squidward.”

Mr Krabs’ voice startled him. In a way, he’d hoped the two would’ve forgotten about his giving a gift to Spongebob, but he should’ve known he wouldn’t be so fortunate.

He blew out a sigh. “Alright, here.” He produced a box from inside the register boat and shoved it into Spongebob’s hands. “Now go away.”

Neither Spongebob nor Mr Krabs moved. Instead, both stared at the box. It was a simple white box, much like Spongebob’s, but had no ribbon tied around it. The box was also of a different shape, as it was longer and flatter. More than anything, it was a surprise to know Squidward bothered to get a gift for his co-worker, regardless if it was hand-crafted or purchased in a store.

Spongebob carefully lifted the lid on the box, then gasped as his eyes widened. Lying inside the box was a jellyfishing net; its handle was made of bamboo and the net was a high-quality material he couldn’t identify right away. He picked it up and tugged on the net, feeling a nice stretch to it. The bamboo seemed new and of a higher grade than the ones he was used to using. All in all, it was a rather expensive-looking net comprised of some of the highest-quality materials money could buy.

“Wow,” Spongebob breathed, “this is a really nice jellyfishing net, Squidward.”

“Hrm.” Squidward picked up a magazine and opened it before turning to a particular page and reading.

Mr Krabs leaned forward and squinted at the net. “It looks store-bought,” he remarked. “Are ye sure ye followed the rules, Mr Squidward?”

The cashier kept his eyes on his magazine.

“Mr Squidward?”

Silence.

Mr Krabs snatched the magazine from Squidward’s hands. The latter glared at him. “Why did you do that, Mr Krabs?”

“I asked ye a question, and I expect an answer.”

Squidward sighed, turning his gaze skyward. “We’re supposed to get a gift for our co-workers for this stupid day, so I did just that.” He held out a hand. “Now give me back my magazine.”

“The gift was to be hand-made, Mr Squidward.”

“Does it even matter? This whole thing is a waste of time, anyway… and give me back my magazine.”

Mr Krabs frowned. “I suppose ye getting _any_ gift for the lad is enough of a surprise, though it was supposed to be made by hand.” He glanced at his fry cook, who was still admiring his present. “And it took at least a _little_ thought to get somethin’ he’d like…” He reluctantly held out the magazine; Squidward gladly took it back. “Next time, though, ye better actually _make_ him somethin’, or ye’ll be walkin’ the plank.”

“Right, right.” Squidward’s gaze was on his magazine once again as he found his page and resumed reading.

Mr Krabs grumbled to himself as he returned to his office. Spongebob, meanwhile, ran a hand over the bamboo handle. It certainly seemed as though Squidward had paid a lot of money for the net, though it didn’t make any sense he’d spend that much for a gift for _him_ , even if it was to get him and Mr Krabs off his back.

At the same time, it was difficult to believe he’d hand-crafted a jellyfishing net, especially one that looked this nice. Both sides of the argument were just as unbelievable as their counterpart, which raised the question of whether the gift was store-bought or handmade. Squidward had neglected to admit to either one, which Spongebob was certain was done intentionally.

He lifted his gaze to the cashier, who completely ignored him as he read an article.

“Um, Squidward…”

“What.”

“Did you really buy this net for me?”

“What if I did?”

An evasive response. Spongebob knew he wasn’t going to easily get the truth out of him.

“W- Well, I was hoping you’d make something for me, since that _is_ the requirement for the gift-giving, and—”

Squidward sighed as he lowered his magazine. He trained his gaze on the closed front doors as he replied, “It really doesn’t matter if the gift was bought or made, does it? The whole thing is a farce Mr Krabs came up with for a stupid reason.”

“But it _does_ matter, at least to me.” Spongebob glanced at the net in his hand. “It means more to me if you made this yourself, instead of spending a bunch of money on it.” He looked back at Squidward. “That’s what matters.”

The octopus rolled his eyes and picked up his magazine again. “Whatever,” he grumbled as he began reading again.

Spongebob tried to hide his disappointment as he headed into the kitchen. He knew Squidward well enough to know he wouldn’t get an answer, but the jellyfish net proved to him there was some other part of Squidward he didn’t know.

And he really wanted to know that part of his co-worker, too.

* * *

“Where’s the order for number ten?” Squidward called back.

“Just a second!” Spongebob set a box of kelp fries on a tray next to the plate containing a Krabby Patty. He set the tray on the order window. “Here you go, number ten.”

Squidward muttered something under his breath as he turned to grab the tray. Spongebob watched him for a moment before an idea grew in his mind. When Squidward took the order, his hands held the tray on either side. One way to check if Spongebob’s gift was handmade was to look at Squidward’s hands. If he’d bought the jellyfishing net, his tentacles would look normal. However, if he’d made the net, there would be evidence of it on his hands, since Squidward typically didn’t craft something that intricate. Usually he’d paint something, but if he created anything else, his hands would show what he’d done. For example, if he made a clay pot, he’d have bits of dried clay on his hands.

Spongebob smiled. It’d be tricky and devious, and Squidward would get mad at him, but he knew he’d have to take a close look at his co-worker’s hands to find out the truth.

It would be a short wait.

A few minutes later, Squidward tossed a small piece of paper into the kitchen. Spongebob reached out and grabbed it as it fluttered closer, then read what was written on it: it was an order for two Krabby Patties.

As quickly as possible, he assembled the burgers and set the plates on a tray. However, instead of placing the tray in the window, he set it on the counter nearby the grill and said, “Order up!”

Squidward’s face appeared in the order window as he looked for the order. “Where is it?” he asked.

“It’s right here.” Spongebob pointed to the tray on the counter.

“Well, give it to me.” Squidward held out a hand.

That was it.

In a flash, Spongebob’s hand shot out and grabbed his wrist. Squidward yelped in surprise. “Wh- What are you doing, Spongebob?”

Spongebob didn’t reply as he held Squidward’s hand closer to him and carefully studied it. The back of his hand looked mostly normal, though there seemed to be tiny bits of dried glue on it.

It wasn’t enough.

Ignoring Squidward’s protests, he turned the hand over and gazed at the front of his hand.

A smile crept across his lips.

The light purple surface looked rougher than normal; even the suction cups appeared as though they’d been worked harder than usual. If he didn’t know any better, he’d think Squidward had recently used his hands to make something rather intricate, something that took a lot of work.

But he knew.

His grip loosened, and Squidward yanked his hand back. “What was that all about?” he demanded, rubbing his wrist.

Spongebob’s gaze travelled upwards to meet his. He continued smiling as he said, “You _did_ make my jellyfishing net, didn’t you?”

Squidward looked down at his hands, realising what caused Spongebob to reach that conclusion. He knew he should have made a better effort to hide the evidence, as it were, but it was too late now.

He sighed in defeat. “Yes, I made it. Satisfied?”

“Why didn’t you say so from the beginning?”

Squidward crossed his arms and rested them on the edge of the order window. “Would you – or Mr Krabs, for that matter – have believed me if I said I did?”

“Well… no. B- But…” Spongebob tried to think of the right words for his next question. He really hadn’t expected to come across his discovery. “But why did you make the net?”

“Isn’t it obvious? That was Mr Krabs’ rule for the whole ‘Employee Brotherhood Day’: we have to hand-craft our gifts for each other.”

“Er, ah, I mean…” Again, Spongebob fought for the right words.

“Why did I hand-craft a high-quality jellyfish net for _you_?”

“Um… well, yes.”

Silence filled the kitchen. Spongebob was quite curious to know Squidward’s answer, but he also knew better than to force the answer out. Instead, he kept his gaze on the floor, waiting until his co-worker was ready to answer.

Squidward held out his hand again. “Give me the order.”

Spongebob looked up at him in confusion. “B- But…”

“The customer’s waiting on it.”

“O- Oh, right.” Spongebob picked up the tray and handed it to Squidward.

The octopus turned away from the window for a few moments, then returned his attention to the sea sponge in the kitchen. Spongebob stood in silence, still waiting.

Squidward lowered his gaze. “I did it because of last year,” he murmured.

“L- Last year?”

“Yes, don’t you remember? When Mr Krabs first decided to have this little holiday.”

“But I don’t—”

“The pie.”

“Ohh, that.”

“Yes.” Squidward paused, his memories of the previous year coming back to his mind yet again. “I… I thought I’d killed you, Spongebob.” His voice was soft. “I know I didn’t like you, but… but I never wanted you to die. You didn’t deserve that, no matter how angry you made me. I’m glad you never ate the pie, but just the thought of what could have happened if you did…”

He closed his eyes for a moment, taking a deep breath. When he re-opened his eyes, he kept his gaze lowered. “When Mr Krabs announced a second Employee Brotherhood Day, I knew I didn’t want a repeat performance. He gave us time to craft our gifts, and I wanted to ensure your gift had a completely opposite outcome from last year. I thought the best gift would be something you wouldn’t be able to easily guess if it were store-bought or handmade – a jellyfishing net. I know you love jellyfishing, and you buy new nets on occasion. S- So…” He trailed off again but didn’t continue.

Spongebob stared at him for several moments. He could hardly believe what he’d heard. At the same time, he also could hardly believe Squidward had made a jellyfishing net by hand for him. It certainly wasn’t something he’d normally do… or ever do.

He thought over what Squidward had said. Some bits of those words came to mind, which, when pieced together, painted an entirely different picture.

_I know I didn’t like you._

_I never wanted you to die._

_You didn’t deserve that, no matter how angry you made me._

_I wanted to ensure your gift had a completely opposite outcome from last year._

He realised a lot of Squidward’s current feelings for him were spoken in the past tense, such as when he’d said he “didn’t” like him. And the “completely opposite outcome” could be taken much further than just preventing him from dying.

He looked at Squidward more carefully and was surprised to see a blush on his face. He didn’t know when or how it happened, but he could tell something had changed… something big had changed within his co-worker and neighbour.

He finally spoke up.

“Squidward…”

“What?” His voice was still soft.

“I… Um, that is…”

To his surprise, Squidward didn’t try to force him to answer right away. Instead, the octopus kept his eyes lowered and remained silent.

“W- Well… this is all very unexpected. And surprising. I… I don’t know what to say—”

“You don’t have to say anything.” Squidward didn’t move. “I did what Mr Krabs asked us to do, that’s all.”

“N- No, that’s not all. I can tell there’s a lot more behind your gift than what you’re letting on, Squidward.”

“What do you mean?”

“What you said earlier, I… I could tell there was something different with what you’d said.”

“What are you talking about?”

“The way you said you ‘didn’t’ like me, instead of saying you ‘don’t’ like me, things like that. And I know you, Squidward; you wouldn’t go through all this trouble to make such a nice-looking jellyfishing net just so we wouldn’t have to deal with a bomb pie this year. You could’ve easily bought me something or made something very small… but you didn’t. And you proved to me there’s still a part of you I don’t know.”

“There’s a lot about me you don’t know, Spongebob.” Squidward’s voice was weary as he finally lifted his gaze to look at his co-worker. “I’m not an open book like you are.”

“Then let me find out,” Spongebob offered. “I want to read the book called ‘Squidward Tentacles’ and learn as much as I can about you.”

A sigh. “Why?”

“Because…” He faltered.

Squidward hiked an eyebrow. “Because why?”

“Erm…” This time, Spongebob was the one who lowered his gaze. “B- Because when you said I loved jellyfishing, that was true, but there are other things I love more than jellyfishing.”

“Like your job,” Squidward put in.

“Y- Yeah, but… there’s something else, too.”

“Something else?”

Spongebob nodded, his cheeks reddening.

Squidward regarded him for a moment. “Y- You mean…”

Silence.

He sighed again. “You mean me, right?”

“Uh-huh.” Spongebob studied his shoes.

After several more moments of silence, Squidward finally responded.

“Me too.”

“Huh?” Spongebob looked up at him.

Squidward’s face reddened as he averted his gaze. “Er, that is… w- well, when Mr Krabs told us about the second Employee Brotherhood Day, I’d mentioned before that I didn’t want the same thing happening as last year. I didn’t want you to die then, and I still don’t want that to happen. When I thought of the possibility of you dying due to my carelessness, it… it scared me. Badly. I knew I shouldn’t just make you a gift to prevent the events of last year from repeating itself, I… I wanted you to realise how I felt, what I’d do for you.”

He took a deep breath before returning his gaze to the sea sponge before him. “You mean a lot to me, Spongebob, more than I’d initially realised… and more than you’ll ever know.”

Spongebob found himself smiling as his earlier embarrassment faded. In his own unique way, Squidward had just admitted to sharing the same feelings for Spongebob as he’d confessed to having for the octopus. He’d never thought he’d hear Squidward saying such a thing, but many incredible things had already happened today.

“I think this is the best gift you’ve ever given me, Squidward.”

“Wh- What do you mean?”

Spongebob gestured to him. “What you’ve said. I feel the same way about you, and I’d like to find out how much I mean to you.”

Squidward allowed himself a small smile. “Then would you like to start learning, tonight?”

“Sure! Then you can use your gift from me when painting your next picture.”

“And you can use your gift from me the next time you go jellyfishing.”

“Yeah! And you can go with me.”

“R- Really? You’d want me to go jellyfishing with you?”

Spongebob’s smile became a grin. “I can’t think of anything better.”

Squidward’s own smile grew. “Sure, I’ll go with you then.”

“I’m looking forward to it.”

Squidward realised he could see his future lying before him, one he’d never imagined he’d ever undertake with someone at his side. However, the cheerful face smiling warmly at him, showing him emotions he hadn’t previously realised he also held, told him he wouldn’t have it any other way.

“So am I, Spongebob.”


End file.
